The Shenzhen wasteland is a plant older than a dinosaur, but it is about to be excavated

Introduction: On a wasteland in Shenzhen, there are plants "living fossils" that are older than dinosaurs, but these plants attract attention at the same time as bad news, this land will be built into a school.

In a wasteland next to Shenzhen No. 2 Senior High School, a small grass that can prey on insects grows in large quantities, called Jindiluo. But its living environment may encounter threats from real estate development projects. After the program was broadcast, it attracted the attention of many citizens: Is this magical plant going to disappear here? How to achieve the best balance between social development and ecological protection?

It is understood that according to the planning of Shenzhen City, Vanke Group will build a Liuxian School here, including a primary school and a junior high school. Today, the person in charge of the project made an inspection at the site, and he said that the construction of the project will not involve the living area of Jindiluo.

Although Gemdiluo is not currently threatened by excavators, plant lovers who come to the site are still not at ease. Next to this wasteland is the ZTE Talent Apartment, because there is not enough green space in the community, many residents can only climb over the wall to come in and play here. They said that they did not expect the grass under their feet to be so magical.

Teacher Liu Lei, who launched the Jindiluo Conservation Campaign, said that in addition to the insect-eating grass of Jindiluo, this wasteland also grows plants that are older than dinosaurs , "living fossils" - bottle grass and pine leaf fern, and perhaps there will be more discoveries in the future.

According to plant enthusiasts, they have contacted the Shenzhen Wildlife Conservation Office and the Xianhu Botanical Garden, which has transplanted some varieties and cultivated them in the Germplasm Resource Center. The Shenzhen Mangrove Foundation, an environmental protection organization, is also promoting conservation activities, and the protection of these rare plants has attracted the attention of President Wang Shi.

Explanation of terms:

Bottle grass belongs to the bottle grass family, bottle grass genus. It is a perennial herb, 7–20 cm tall and leafless in winter. The rhizomes are short and erect, with clusters of fleshy thick roots that travel in all directions like creeping stems, giving birth to new plants. It is mainly distributed in Hubei, Sichuan, southern Shaanxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Taiwan and Tibet. It has the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain, activating blood and dispersing stasis, and the whole herb can be used in medicine.

Pine leaf fern family, Pine leaf fern genus. Also known as pine leaf orchid. It is a perennial herb that epiphytes on tree trunks or rocks. There are creeping underground stems, 2-pronged branches, only hairy absorption structure and false roots; aboveground stems are erect or drooping, 15–80 cm tall, green, the lower part is about 2–3 mm thick, the upper part is more than 2 forks branched, the twigs are triangular; the leaves are degenerate, very small; the spore leaves are broadly ovate, bifurcated, spore sacs spherical, capsule-shaped, born in the leaf axils, tricysic longitudinal fissures, spores are homomorphic. It is distributed in Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang in China; it is also distributed in other subtropical regions. Epiphytic in native forests at an altitude of 200–2000 m. Propagation in separate plants. It is commonly cultivated in tropical areas under shade shelters and in greenhouses in temperate regions. Sexually prefers warm, humid and semi-shaded environments. Planted with moss, fern roots, and bark blocks on porous pots or rafts. In winter, it can be slightly dried in the greenhouse, but it still requires higher air humidity; the overwintering temperature is not less than 15 °C. Pine leaf fern branches are slender. Whole plant for medicinal purposes. It is a relict species of ancient times.

Gemtiro is an insectivore that often grows on grass or on moist rocky surfaces and sandy soils. It is herbaceous with a short stem and no bulbs. It grows at altitudes of 50–1520 m on flat land, hillsides, valleys and summits in sunny or sparsely forested areas, and is commonly found during the rainy season. It is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Oceania, and is mostly found in offshore areas or islands.